North Korea Releases Pictures of Kim Jong Il

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea released pictures of leader Kim Jong Il on Saturday for the first time in nearly two months, showing the reclusive ruler looking generally well despite reports he recently underwent brain surgery.

Wearing his trademark khaki jumpsuit and sunglasses, Kim was seen standing with uniformed soldiers with his arms folded or his hands behind his back. The photos were taken during a visit to a military unit, and shown on Pyongyang's Korean Central Television.

Kim appeared healthy in the images, though it was unclear when they were taken.

It was the first footage of Kim released since Aug. 14, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry, in charge of relations with North Korea.

The 66-year-old leader, believed to have diabetes and heart disease, had missed several key holidays in recent months, most notably North Korea's 60th birthday last month.

U.S. and South Korean officials have said Kim suffered a stroke and underwent brain surgery. North Korea has denied he was ill.

Earlier Saturday, the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported without images that Kim visited an all-female military unit but did not specify exactly when the inspection took place.

Concern over Kim's absence was especially pointed since Pyongyang abandoned an international disarmament-for-aid accord and stopped disabling its Yongbyon nuclear reactor in mid-August. The country raised the stakes again this week, banning inspectors from the entire nuclear complex.

However, diplomats told The Associated Press the U.S. government plans to remove North Korea from a terrorism blacklist Saturday after getting assurances the communist nation would allow inspections of its nuclear facilities.

U.S. President George W. Bush signed off on the move Friday in a bid to salvage the faltering disarmament accord aimed at getting North Korea to abandon atomic weapons, the diplomats said on condition of anonymity because the State Department had not yet announced the step.